


Standing Out

by 401



Series: Fixing Winter [10]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anxiety, Avengers Family, Beach Volleyball, Body Image, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Comfort, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Shirtless, beach, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 08:51:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4429088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/401/pseuds/401
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is beautiful, Natasha is beautiful, Thor was literally crafted by the gods, damn it even Tony is kind of beautiful. Bucky feels like he stands out when the Avengers have a beach party and Steve invites him along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Standing Out

**Author's Note:**

> And again, I love feedback and tips.

It was hot. Really hot. Bucky was starting to regret ever coming on this holiday. It had taken enough to get him on a plane, but Steve had insisted that his vacation would not have been complete without him, and that had forced Bucky into a corner. All of the Avengers were there, bar Fury, but Bucky was not sure if he was an Avenger or not, so he tried not to think about him.

The initial meeting had been difficult.  _Hello, I'm Bucky and I've tried to kill most of you at least once. I'm sure it will be a great trip._ He had kept his head down most of the flight there, talking to Natasha, Steve and Sam but not much to Tony, Bruce, Thor or Clint. Now they were on the beach, Florida (Tony's idea), and he was struggling.

The long-sleeved t-shirt he had chosen to hide his metal arm was quickly becoming very uncomfortable. He had bought them in bulk since finally being happy to wear civs.  He could feel moisture pooling at the small of his back and his forehead was wet enough that long tendrils of hair had fallen out of the loose knot he had fashioned at the base of his and sticking to the clammy skin.

The others were playing volleyball, Thor gloriously destroying all of them at a game he hadn't even heard of when they landed, Bruce looking so normal amongst them that it was a bit upsetting, Sam trying not to stare at Natasha's ass in a bikini and Steve, Steve was being Steve; keeping Tony in check and firing Bucky the occasional glance of concern to see if he was okay.

The only benefit of Bucky's position with his legs crossed on a beach towel was that he got to watch Steve get more and more tan and sweaty as the game went on. The sun glowed off of his wide, muscular back and where it caught the fine, light-bleach hair at the back of his neck, it looked like he had been sprinkled with glitter. It was not a complaint on Bucky's end.

Steve jogged over now, smacking Sam on the back of the head to distract him from Natasha and shaking Thor's hand firmly before skidding to a sandy halt in front of Bucky and crouching down.

"Please come and join us," he whispered, still smiling from the fun of the match, "You'll be fine, better than Bruce anyway," he added, looking back at Dr Banner, lying on the floor after a nasty tackle from Clint. He heard some cussing.

"It's too hot," Bucky put on a face of feigned cheer and nonchalance and shrugged, "I'm good here, really."

Steve frowned.

"Take that shirt off then," he suggested, "Black and long-sleeved when it's near enough a hundred degrees today?"

Bucky gestured to his metal hand, just the fingers showing out of the sleeve. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Sweetheart," his voice was low, "Everyone here is different." 

Bucky sighed, about to protest but Steve pressed a firm finger against his lips.

"Bruce has been checking his heart rate all day, Natasha is _covered_ in scars, Clint hates bright sunlight, Thor didn't even know what volley ball was, granted he's slaying us all, Tony...well Tony's just Tony," Steve paused for breath, "I want you to feel like one of us, regardless of the arm or people staring or your past, no one here cares about that."

Bucky avoided Steve's eye, looking at his knees but Steve tilted up his chin with a gentle touch, forcing him to look.

"Okay," Bucky mumbled, "Fine, one match."

He pulled off he sweaty t-shirt. He looked down at his body. The sun hit that arm like it was a search beacon, twinkling and glinting as the sun caught on the different facets and angles of the titanium disks. The red star on his shoulder however, was near enough obliterated by endless working with sandpaper. Bucky hated that star and everything it stood for. His torso, whether it was toned and muscular or not, was pale from years unexposed to the sun. He was littered with pink scars and a few older bruises. He felt the panic rise in his chest. Steve sensed it and pressed a gentle like of kisses into Bucky's collarbone, before brushing back a lock of long, dark hair and kissing his cheek too.

"Beautiful," Steve mumbled into Bucky's cheek, tickling him with his eyelashes, "Totally swell."

Bucky rolled his eyes and followed Steve to the others. They looked surprised but happy all the same that Bucky had joined them. Bruce threw the white leather ball at him, which he caught swiftly in one hand.

"He's mine," Bruce called out, jumping a little in urgency, "Please, can he be on my team? All of me hurts because."

Bucky chuckled and nodded, crossing over to the other side of the net. He was with Bruce, Clint, and Sam. They were against Nat, Thor, Tony and Steve.

"Your serve, Barnes," Natasha announced, a look of understanding and mischief in her face. Bruce smacked him on the shoulder.

"Please make at least one of those ridiculously sexy bastards fall over for me," Banner whispered, giving Bucky a look of desperation. Bucky grinned and made the serve with his flesh hand.

It sailed over Tony and Thor returned it. It whistled past Clint with a force that he heard and felt. Bucky returned it with his metal hand this time and it issued a satisfying slap as it connected with the sand on the other side.

"Points to Frosty's team!" Tony clapped. Bucky silently swore revenge on Stark for giving him that nickname. Steve grinned at Bucky and stuck out his tongue.

The match continued until it went into elimination. It was him against Thor by the end. Bruce was puffed out and didn't want a code green, Tony decided 5pm was time for scotch out of a water bottle, Steve and Sam were wrestling and Natasha wanted to sunbathe.

"If you are anything like Steve, you will be a fair match for me," Thor boomed majestically. Christ this guy sounded like something out of a fairytale, Bucky thought.

Bucky served and Thor returned, that back and forth rally continued until Bucky's hand connected with the volleyball at an odd angle. Leather sphere burst, with a pop so loud that a few pot-smoking teenagers looked over inquisitively, despite being able to stone through a volleyball match between a man with a cybernetic arm and a literal god for forty-five minutes. The deflated ball fell at Thor's feet on the other side of the net.

"I guess I'm better than Steve," Bucky smiled.

Natasha broke into laughter and Bruce punched the air in celebration. Steve stopped with Sam in a painful looking headlock and just stared, smiling at Bucky standing there against the balmy sunset, red cheeked and triumphant.

Steve dropped Sam and ran over to Bucky, putting his arms around his shoulders.

"I hate to say I told you so..." Steve started put Bucky pushed his lips against the Captain's mouth to pause the impending gloat.

They sat down in a circle around a fire that glowed blue. It was the sodium in the driftwood, Tony explained. Natasha sat on Bruce's lap, Thor ate 8 hotdogs and Sam, Tony and Clint fought over who out of all of them would win in a dance battle. Steve talked about 1943 and Bucky smiled, really smiled for the first time in years.

 


End file.
